AAC – Speech-Language Pathology Services

So much of AAC instruction focuses on requesting, labeling, or sentence-building. These are important, but if we want students to connect with peers, we must also model greetings, jokes, comments, and conversation starters. Think:

“Hi, what’s your name?”
“That’s funny!”
“Can I play too?”
“Cool shirt!”

Use the student’s device to model these during real-life social moments — recess, snack time, group projects — and encourage others to do the same.

Pro Tip: Customize the device to have pre-programmed social buttons that are easily accessed. Modify the social page to contain socially appropriate phrases for the student’s age.

Include Emotion and Personality

AAC users need vocabulary that reflects who they are — not just what they need. I always encourage programming in favourite TV shows, silly phrases, personal opinions (“That’s boring!” or “I love pizza!”), and emojis or slang. Social connection grows when students can share themselves authentically.

Celebrate All Communication

Whether it’s a gesture, a glance at a symbol, or a full sentence from a device, all communication matters. Peers will follow the lead of the adults around them. When we slow down, give wait time, and treat AAC as a valid and natural form of interaction, we set the tone for inclusive friendship-building.

Check out some AAC Friendly Social Games to play and tips for success:

AAC Social Games – blog post (1)

Welcome back to another school year, everyone!

A new year always brings about the opportunity for growth and learning for all: teachers, students, parents…everyone! Exposure to new things expands our thinking. It allows us to see different perspectives and possibilities, normalize differences, and challenge stereotypes, promoting greater understanding of ourselves and others. When we think about creating inclusive classrooms (or being a member of any space that feels inclusive for us!), often something that is a required support for one person has the potential to be a helpful support for all people once they get a chance to see it and try it themselves.

This year, Edmonds Community School has included a Communication Board in their school’s student agenda:

A Communication Board is a low-tech AAC (Alternative & Augmentative Communication) support that has frequently used vocabulary words. It can be used by an individual to point to what they want to communicate when oral speech is not coming easily. It can also support understanding in a conversation by adding visual information to what is being said. It can be especially useful for students who are non-speaking, who are learning a new language, who have difficulty with producing speech sounds accurately, or those who are experiencing big emotions and struggling to get their words out. It also can be an early literacy support by exposing pre-readers and early readers to the written form of words they know to hear and say but cannot yet read.

I encourage you to print a low-tech Communication Board for yourself or for your students to try as an extra support for communicating; what is necessary for some people can be helpful for many others too!

Happy learning and communicating this year!